


Therefore, You and Me

by Juzosuke-Ishimondo (Aster_Nightingale)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Enemies to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Canonical Character(s), Minor Character Death, Past Child Abuse, idk - Freeform, speed run
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24051826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aster_Nightingale/pseuds/Juzosuke-Ishimondo
Summary: Mondo Oowada didn't have a normal childhood. There was nothing normal about his homelife. Kiyotaka Ishimaru didn't have a normal life. In fact, the closest thing to normalcy  was at home with his father and the ghost of his mother and the shell of his grandfather.After misunderstandings, pains, and fears, they find the best of themselves in each other as they both worry about the worst. Idk when I'll update this next.
Relationships: Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo
Comments: 60
Kudos: 275





	1. Beginning: Mondo

"Stay the fuck away from 'im!"

  
"Don'tcha fuckin' tell me what ta do, ya lil bitch!" 

  
A 10 year old Mondo Oowada closed his eyes tight as his dad and brother started screaming at each other again. His ribs hurt. His stomach hurt. Everything hurt, but nothing hurt more than hearing Daiya's almost crack as he asked his old man to just leave Mondo alone. 

  
Tamaki Oowada sneered and spit on Daiya before fucking off to God knows where. 

  
When he heard the front door slam, Daiya let out a breath that Mondo didn't know if Daiya knew he was holding. 

  
"Ya 'lright, Mon-chan?" 

  
He wiped the tears off his younger brother's face. Mondo squirmed a bit. He didn't realize he had been crying. 

  
"'t's 'lright, Mon-chan. Gimme a bit, 'll take make ya somethin' ta eat. That's what ya asked the ol' man fer, right?" 

  
Mondo nodded. It was Sunday. He hadn't eaten since Friday. Two years ago, Nyoko Oowada had died. When she was alive, they had family dinners on the weekend. Tamaki didn't drink as much, Daiya talked a lot about school, and Nyoko smiled and laughed loudly as she told them about obnoxious customers at the bike shop that she worked at. On Saturday, she took Daiya and Mondo to a corner store and get them both ice creams. Sometimes, she got into loud fights with Tamaki. Daiya would hold him close and tell him things would be okay. That everything would be okay. When they heard the door slam shut, Nyoko would come into their room and take them to a little ramen stand and buy them dinner. 

  
Now, there wasn't any food on the weekends. Tamaki spent all the money on liquor and women. Daiya would sometimes steal little things for food, but somedays he would be caught and beaten until he couldn't move leaving Mondo alone. Though, Mondo couldn't complain about being hungry to his father. Today was just another day of it. 

  
"Ya ungrateful lil brat!" Tamaki had screamed. Mondo was too weak to protect himself as his father grabbed him by the hair and kicked him in the gut. "Piece of shit! Don't fuckin' bother me 'bout shit like that! Who the fuck do ya think I am?! I work all week so ya can have a roof over yer goddamn empty head, 'n all ya can do is fuckin' complain 'bout everythin'!" A kick to the gut, then another, and another, and another before Daiya had intervened.   


Still, the part that hurt him most was that he was the one crying.

  
"The fuck?" he remember's Tamaki saying to him. "Are ya fuckin' cryin'?! Didn't realize I was raisin' a lil bitch. Thought I was raisin' a man." Mondo had protested, but that only earned him a harsh look and a slap to the face. "Ya better listen to yer ol' man, kid. The world out there? It ain't gonna coddle ya. Ya start cryin' 'n actin' weak? It'll chew ya up 'n spitcha out, 'n not a single person out there'll give a shit. Ya understand, kid?" Mondo had nodded. He was a man. He couldn't be seen as weak. Everytime he did, it earned him an extra kick or a slap. 

  
Mondo went to bed with half a sandwhich in his gut. It wasn't enough to fill him up, but it was better than nothing. A year later, he and Daiya would leave together along with the family dog, Chuck, on the back of a motorcycle that Daiya had saved up for. A few months on their own, they both started working. At 12, Mondo managed to save up enough for his own bike. Daiya had already started the gang, and Mondo was allowed to join. At 14, the little gang grew into one of the biggest in Japan. Soon, Daiya was gone, the gang was his, and he was filled with more self-loathing and guilt than he ever had before. At 16, he became one of the most feared and respected delinquents in Japan, and he would be attending Hope's Peak as the super high school level bosozoku.

  
At first, he thought it was a joke, but upon a second evaluation, he could see that it wasn't. While a part of him loathed the idea of going to school with a bunch of spineless bastards who have never had to struggle or fight for anything, he couldn't help but be allured with the idea of an assured future. That being said, he never thought about the future. What would be do without the gang? They were his family now, and as dysfuncitonal and irratating as they were sometimes, they were a better family than a guy like him could ever ask for. With dreams of the future in mind, he stayed up and 'talked' to Daiya. 

  
"Aniki, what 'm I gonna do? I...I dunno what I wanna do with my life!" 

  
"Hopefully you'll at least keep yer promise, ya lil bitch." It was Daiya's voice in his mind, but Mondo knew it was his father's words. He knew, but he couldn't stop the feeling of tears prickling the back of his eyes. "Damn, Hope's Peak wantcha, Mon-chan. Didn't know they recruited murderer's nowadays. What'd ya get in fer? The super high school level dumbass? Don't make me fuckin' laugh! Like hell some dipshit like you'll make it!" 

  
Mondo grumbled and hit his head. It was disgusting even thinking about the shit his father would say in Daiya's voice. Still, as he laid down, he believed he didn't deserve anything more than the feeling of utter self-contempt and fear that buried itself into his chest and fell asleep in his lungs making it harder and harder to breath as he fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a kudos and comment if you enjoyed. I really appreciate it. Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed the story so far.


	2. Beginning: Kiyotaka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I started this at like 9 am and started playing pokemon a DS emulator, so I don't remember what this was going to be. My productivity went away instantly. Well, I got an eevee, so there is that.

Kiyotaka shielded his eyes as someone through dirt at him. Before he could realize it, they pushed him down on his back and punched and stomped on him in the stomach and chest while laughing. 

  
"Fucking Ishimaru!" 

  
"It's your stupid granddad's fault my dad can't get a job anymore!" 

  
"Do us all a favor and throw yourself off a bridge!"

  
"No one needs another Ishimaru fuck up!"

  
He tried to struggle and get away, but when he did, they stepped on his arms. He was lucky to find after they left that they hadn't fractured anything. He sighed as he gathered up his papers. He'd have to redo his homework, but that was something to do while he waited for his father to get home. Besides, he wanted to go over the material again anyway and now he had another reason to do so. He sighed. His bag was ripped. He'd have to sew it back up. 

  
As he walked to the small, rundown apartment he called home, he was careful to avoid anyone his own age. His elders didn't usually assult him at least. No, the worst they usually gave him was dirty looks and sometimes harsh words for his detestable crime of being born into his family. 

  
When he got to the front step, he was greeted with the usual sounds of screaming, yelling, and something or someone being thrown into a wall. At least there weren't any bottles being thrown today. Oh, right, it was only 6 pm. 

  
"I'm home," he greeted the empty apartment. The rent was extremely cheap, and it took 2 years, but it wasn't infested with anything anymore. 

  
He heard a small amount of movement in one of the rooms. His grandfather didn't come out of his room except to eat dinner. He didn't speak, and he hasn't since Kiyotaka was 3. Still, sometimes Toranosuke acknowledged someone else in the house. Sometimes he didn't. Still, Kiyotaka always tried as he knocked and opened the door. His grandfather was staring out the window at nothing as always.

  
"Good evening, grandfather. Did you have a good day?" 

  
A grunt of acknowledgement, but not a confirmation or denial. 

  
"I suppose I'm glad." His grandfather smiled slightly before going back to looking out the window. 

  
Kiyotaka remembered day's when his grandfather was a better man. He was tall, fairly well muscled, handsome, and kind. He was one of the kindest, smartest men Kiyotaka ever had, and probably would ever have, the pleasure of knowing. Still, the scandal took its toll on his body, mind, and personality. Now, he lived in frankly one of the worst apartments in Japan alongside his son and grandson. His wife was gone. Kiyotaka didn't know all the details surrounding her death, but from what he heard, it was planned. His daughter-in-law had left soon after. 

  
Sachiko had left Takaaki when Kiyotaka was 5. She left saying that she thought she was going to be taken care of when she married him. She left knowing that Takaaki would struggle just paying rent and putting food on the table nevermind caring for a young boy. She left Kiyotaka with only a glare. From what he heard, she was married again and much happier. While he was happy for his mother, he couldn't help but be a little selfish and wish she would at least call him or notice the fact that he was still alive and her only child. 

  
He sighed and went to his own room. One of the few good things about this place was that there was two rooms. His father insisted on sleeping on the couch considering that he would barely have a need for a room. He worked too many hours to justify it in his eyes and didn't want to take away from Kiyotaka more than he already had to do to save money. He took out his text books and worked on his homework. 

After a few hours, his father stumbled in. He looked exhausted which was nothing new considering the hours he worked. "Good evening, Father!" Kiyotaka had finished his homework awhile ago and made some rice for dinner. One of the few things they still owned from before the scandal was a fairly decent rice cooker, so there was that at least. On the table, there was still some rice balls. 

  
"Good evening, Kiyotaka." Takaaki smiled. Even without doing anything, Kiyotaka made the older Ishimaru almost burst a bit with pride and joy. "How was your day?" 

  
Kiyotaka spoke vibrantly about his day as his father ate. Takaaki only stopped to nod a bit. When Kiyotaka got to the part before he got home, Takaaki frowned and sat up. 

  
"What did they look like? Do you know their names?" 

  
"Father, it's fine. It's-" 

  
"It's not fine, Kiyotaka. Aside from being assult, they hurt you, and for what? For doing your job, for your name? It is not just. You know that." 

  
Kiyotaka sighed. "I...I don't know. I wasn't paying attention."

  
Takaaki sighed and patted him on the back before getting up to clean his dish. "Just...be careful, Kiyotaka. I don't want you getting hurt." 

  
Kiyotaka nodded. "Yes, I should get some rest, goodnight Father." 

  
"Goodnight, Kiyotaka. I love you, don't forget that, okay?"

  
He smiled brightly. "Of course! I love you as well!" 

  
He went to bed with a smile on his face. Over the next few months, he went through the motions of avoiding fights, patrolling hallways, cleaning up his vandalized locker, picking up his books, cleaning and repairing said books, redoing homework, avoiding getting beatings and failing some days, and ignoring harsh looks. He couldn't have imagined that his grandfather would die one day alone in that apartment. He couldn't have imagined he and his father would cry or that his mother and his step-father would come and offer to adopt him only for him to be so shocked that he rebuked them rather harshly which earned him a slap from his mother and a promise that she wouldn't speak to him again. He couldn't have ever imagined that he would be standing over his grandfather's grave holding a letter telling him, of all people, that he would be a part of the 78th class batch of Hope's Peak Academy. 

  
"Grandfather, it seems I am to go to Hope's Peak as you did." He sighed. "I wonder what you would have said. Regardless, I will not fall into the trap of genius that you did. I will keep up my studies and remain diligent. I swear I will redeem our family name, so please watch over me, grandfather." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a kudos and comment if you enjoyed. I really appreciate it. Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed the story so far.


	3. Mondo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I have something planned tomorrow, so I won't be able to post a chapter then. I'll post one now just so I can stay on schedule. Thank you for your patience with me. I hope I don't disappoint.

So far, Hope's Peak wasn't so bad. He didn't have to go to classes for one thing. In fact, the only class he bothered going to most days was math. He was okay at that, and it wasn't so bad once he understood the formula. 

  
Still, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the super high school level prefect, wanted them to meet every morning for homeroom. It was annoying, but once Chihiro Fujisaki, a smaller, timid looking girl with brown hair and hazel eyes, asked with tears in her eyes even Touko Fukawa, the constantly self-deprecating super high school level book worm, agreed to it. 

  
"Good morning, fellow classmates!" Kiyotaka's voice was loud. It wasn't unpleasent, but it was weirdly loud. It was as if he wasn't aware of how loud he was being or that he even was to begin with. 

  
"G-good morning, I guess. Bet you're thinking that y-your d-day w-would be a-a lot better if y-you didn't have to see me." 

  
Mondo rolled his eyes. He would never get used to Fukawa's sudden self deprecating jokes. Honestly, they just made him uncomfortable. He just kind of hoped it was a guy who hurt her enough to be that way solely because then he could feel good and sleep well at night after he punched them. He wouldn't admit it, but he felt fairly protective over his classmates...even Ishimaru. 

  
"Morning, you're up early, Oowada!"

  
"Indeed, I am suprised to see you this early as well." 

Aoi Asahina, the super high school level swimmer, and Sakura Oogami, the super high school level fighter, hit it off nearly instantly when they met. Now, it was rare to see the two apart. 

  
"Yeah, figured 'd try 'n be on time fer once. Don't get used to it." 

  
Asahina rolled her eyes at him. "If you say so." She went back to talking to Oogami. 

  
The rest of the students trickled in and eventually they were all there. Some grouped up to talk, others simply read or played on their phones, and some did nothing as they waited for the hour and forty-five minutes of homeroom to be over so they could go off and do whatever they wanted. Mondo himself had already decided that he was going to ride around and see if there was anywhere worth hanging out at during or after school hours. 

  
However, those plans were ruined when he got caught running in the halls by Ishimaru. 

  
"C'mon man! Got plans tonight!" 

  
"If those plans are important, we can rescheduel the day you have to show up, but you still have to serve your detention sentence, Oowada." 

  
Mondo sighed. "Fine, poindexter." 

  
So, he sat in an empty classroom while Ishimaru sat in the front and did his homework. After an hour, he was allowed to leave. 

  
"I hope you learned your lesson, Oowada. I don't want a repeat of this incident to occur." 

  
"Whatever. Jus' leave me alone, goddamn killjoy." 

  
"Language, Oowada!"

  
Mondo turned and glared. He was a bit angry, though, he was doing his best to keep his temper in check as he walked out of the room and down the hall. 

  
"I hope to see you tomorrow for homeroom." 

  
Mondo didn't even turn around as he flipped the prefect off. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a kudos and comment if you enjoyed. I really appreciate it. Thank you for your time. I hope you enjoyed the story so far.


	4. Kiyotaka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, got busy yesterday and wasn't able to think of anything to write. I'll post another chapter tomorrow just to stay on schedule. Thanks for reading. Sorry if this is a bit messy.

He sighed at the sight as he gathered his things. Honestly, he was just glad the other hadn't threatened to beat him up. Back in middle school, he would have been beaten until he couldn't even whimper from the pain. Kaisaidan wasn't as bad, but he was harassed for simply doing his job on multiple occations despite his short time there. 

  
As he walked back to his dorm, he came upon one of his classmates, Mukuro Ikusaba or Reiko Enoshima, the super high school level soldier who gave him a salute in greeting. The two of them rarely spoke to each other, but they had a mutal appricaition of each other. Ikusaba appricaited the order that Ishimaru created with his rule enforcement, and Ishimaru appricaited the fact that Ikusaba did her best to follow those rules to the letter. 

  
"Good afternoon, Ishimaru," she greeted him. Her voice was surprisingly soft and girly for a battle hardened soldier. Though, he supposed it didn't matter really.

  
"Good afternoon to you, Ikusaba." The two walked in silence to the dorms and said fairwell to each other, Ikusaba with a bow and Ishimaru with a salute. 

  
He got to his room and studies for a bit. It would be awhile before he needed to eat, so he opened one of his textbooks and started working.

A few hours later, he rubbed his eyes. He was starting to develop a headache, so he decided to take a break and go to the cafeteria. As he ate, he overheard a pair of familiar voices. 

  
"'m tellin' ya, can't stand that damn hall monitor." Kiyotaka sighed as a needle like pain flared in his chest. 

  
"Yeah, man, it'd be better if he didn't come to Hope's Peak at all. Mean, what kinda talent's prefect anyway. Least you got your's from being the leader of your gang." 

  
"'xcatly!" 

  
"Yo, woah, take a look at what Enoshima is..."

  
He didn't bother listening anymore as he finished his dinner and went back to his room. It wasn't as if he got in for nothing. He was the super high school level prefect. He got in with his own determination, hard work, and effort. He worked so hard to get here. It wasn't right to say he didn't deserve to be here...right? At least here, the school wanted him. At Kaisaidan, they didn't want him at all. The only reason he got in was because he scored the highest on the entrance exams. Actually, he did perfect. He didn't miss a single problem, and the school had to reluctantly make him a student. Though, the faculty made sure to single him out and make him an object of ridicule among his peers. Though, he already anticipated it there.

He wasn't sure why, but he had hoped he would make a friend during his time here. So far, all he had was a good acquaintance in Ikusaba and a friendly relationship with Naegi. While he was certainly grateful about his relationships, he had hoped that he would make a real friend. He wanted someone he could talk to, someone his age he could confide in and who could confide in him, too. More than anything, he just wanted to laugh and talk with someone like everyone else could.

  
He sighed as he went into his room and sat down to study. After awhile, he stopped as his phone started ringing. 

  
"Good evening, Kiyotaka."

  
"Good evening, father." 

  
His father, of course, noticed something was...off. "Is something wrong? Did someone hurt you?" 

  
He shook his head on instinct. "No, nothing like that, father. I'm just tired tonight." 

  
"I see, should I hang up now and wait til tomorrow? I know how hard you work, son. I don't want you to overexert yourself." 

  
"No, I'll be okay, father. Please, tell me about your day!" 

  
The two spoke for an hour as usual. While he couldn't see his father when he spoke about his day, Kiyotaka knew his father was smiling as he hung up. His father always sounded so much more alive after Kiyotaka told him about his day. It made him happy, too. Despite everything, his father loved him. 

  
To his surprise, he got another call from a number he didn't recognize. 

  
"Hello?" 

  
"Just hello? Shouldn't you ask your mother how she's doing?" 

  
He flinched. Why? Why was she contacting him? Didn't she say she didn't want anything to do with him? Why now? "M-mother? Um, yes. I-it is nice to hear from you. How are you doing?" 

  
He heard her sigh. "Really, Kiyo? You're still stuttering?" 

  
He cleared his throat and unconciously sat straighter than he normally did. That was what she did. She always had to critique him, and he always tried to live up to her impossible standards for him. Deep down, he knew that if he ever met her expectations for him, he wouldn't gain the motherly love that he needed as a child. No, he knew she would just raise those expectations even higher. "Apologies, Mother. How can I help you?" 

  
"I heard from a co worker that you were accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. Is this correct?" 

  
"Yes mam." 

  
He heard the smug smile in her voice. He knew she would be telling her 'friends' for weeks about her failure of a son being better than their sons and daughters. He almost rolled his eyes at her. "I see, why didn't you tell me at the funeral? Masaki and I would have gotten you something nice." He didn't bother reminding her that Masaki hated his guts and only wanted to adopt him because he couldn't have a child himself. "Anyway, make sure to save my number and call me once a week. I want to hear about your life there." 

  
"Yes mam." 

  
"Good boy. Don't disappoint me, Kiyotaka." She hung up without another word. 

  
Kiyotaka sighed loudly as he put up his books and papers up. His work was already done, and he suddenly felt drained. 

  
As he changed and got into bed earlier than normal, he debated telling his father about his mother's call. On one hand, his father may be able to get her to never contact him again. On the other hand, he didn't want his father to go through dealing with her. Despite everything, Takaaki still loved Sachiko to a certain extent, and whenever he told him about the time they previously spent together, it was always with an air of longing and sorrow. Kiyotaka remembered when he was younger being woken up by his father crying over his failed marriage. He remembers comforting him alone in the run down apartment and the look of guilt painted on his grandfather's face as Kiyotaka saw him watch from outside of his room. He shook his head. His father wouldn't want him remembering those times. Still, he remembered most that he would have given anything for his mother to call him back when he was younger. He would have given anything to just see her, to talk to her again. Now? Now he knew what kind of person she was. He already made his peace with her when she slapped him at the funeral. Why did she have to come back into his life after all these years and make him resent her more?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed, please leave a kudos or a comment. Thank you for your time. Sorry, this is very OOC today. I'm honestly thinking about scrapping this whole project and redoing it from scratch. May or may not do that. I'll probably decide in a week or so.


	5. Mondo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is late. Fell asleep without meaning to. Also, sorry this is so short, this is more of a transition to the more interesting part of their stories that we all know and love.

After waking up in a cold sweat and close to tears after a nightmare, he decided to skip the next day. He'd catch hell from the hall monitor and maybe Chihiro for it tomorrow, but for now, he had to get away from it all. He decided to do what he had planned yesterday and started riding around the area. He didn't want to deal with police, so he actually went the speed limit for once. After about an hour of nothing interesting, he found a half decent, somewhat secluded spot in the area that surrounded the school with a small shrine. 

  
Making sure his girl was secure, he sighed as he knelt in front of the shrine and prayed to who he couldn't say, but it felt right. After an hour, he decided that he was calm enough to do something somewhat productive. Maybe...maybe he'd go to the gym? Yeah, that sounded good for now. Though, he needed something to eat first.

  
As he entered the cafeteria though, he ran into the last person he wanted to. "Son of a bitch!" 

  
"Language, Oowada!" The hall monitor didn't seem mad, and it wasn't like he could give him detention, right? After all, attendence wasn't mandatory. "Where were you this morning? Fujisaki was worried about you!" 

  
He flinched. He hated making Chi upset. Poor kid cried so easily. "Fuck off, hardass! I ain't in the mood ta deal with ya!" He just wanted to eat, work out, and go to bed. Maybe go to the sauna before bed. 

  
"Language! If you had just completed your obligations as a student, you wouldn't have to deal with me!" 

  
"Jus' leave me alone, already!" 

  
"Not until you give me a reason as to why you were absent!" 

  
"I don' have to explain jackshit to ya!" 

"Mind your language in a school environs, Oowada!"

  
"You wanna fuckin' go?!"

  
The prefect's brow furrowed more which is something Mondo didn't think was possible til now. "Of course someone like you would resort to violence to get your way." How someone who barely knew him could sound so viscerally disappointed, Mondo would never understand. Still, it pissed him off. 

  
"The fuck you mean by someone like me?!" 

  
"Only someone like you who lacks self-control would resort to violence to solve a problem like this!" 

  
"Says the fucker who's shoutin' all the goddamn time!"

  
"Language!" 

  
They continued arguing. Mondo thought it was pointless. Honestly, he didn't even care anymore. He just wanted to sleep, but for now, he was too far in to care. He wasn't going to loose this argument against the prefect, no matter what. It was only when poor Naegi walked in did they both finally agree. An endurance contest...that didn't sound too bad. He'd win this stupid contest and get the hardass off his back for good. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed. Thank you for your time. ^_^


	6. Kiyotaka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this at 9 am, lost my flow, and it's 10:30 pm...such is life. Also kind of taking and altering dialogue from the manga and anime because I'm not 100% certain how else to deal with this scene.

He curses to himself as he remembers that he hasn't called his father or mother yet today, but he wasn't about to lose a competition like this against Oowada. This wasn't a matter of right or wrong anymore. For him, this was now a matter of integrity and honor, and he already had enough dishonor because of his name. He wouldn't add to it just because he had to speak to his mother. 

  
"Uh, guys are you-" Naegi's concerned voice cut through his thoughts. 

  
At least he and Oowada could agree on one thing,"Stay out of this!" 

"But, it's been almost an hour! It's almost curfew. Don't you think you should call it a draw?"

  
"No, absolutely not! In a contest like this, a draw isn't an option! Winning or losing! Those are the only things that matter!" 

  
"Look atcha, I was gonna say the same thing."

  
"But, guys-" 

  
"Ah, you can go. 'll tell ya the results tomorrow!" 

  
"Well, stay safe guys..." The sound of Naegi's footsteps walking away could be heard. 

A few minutes passed before either spoke again. "Gotta say, 'd think yer at yer limit considerin' how red yer damn face is." 

  
"I'll have you know I was born with a red face!" 

  
"Ya sure ya ain't pushin' yerself, poindexter?" 

  
"Of course not!" He got up. What was he doing? What was he even trying to prove?! He picked up the scoop for water and threw it over the rocks while saying, "It's still too cold!" 

  
"Yeah, thanks. Was jus' thinkin' it was too cold!" 

  
They both tried to appear tough though he couldn't pretend that he was hoping the fully dressed bosozoku would just admit defeat or pass out so this competition could end already. 

  
"Hey, Mr. Honor Student, do ya actually got guts 'r is all of this jus' fer show?" 

  
He spoke without thinking. "You sure are talking big for someone with such a good for nothing personality." 

  
"The fuck?! Do you wanna go?!" 

  
"You're barking like a loser! You dress sloppy, you don't take your work seriously, and you always resort to violence to solve your problems like a coward! People like you who never put in any effort are losers right from the start!" 

  
Mondo growled. Honestly, he expected to get punched. After all, calling out a man's honor...that was an egregious offense. What he didn't expect...was Mondo talking to him. 

  
"The Crazy Diamonds...It's a very important gang ta me. After my older brother died, I became the leader, 'n it wasn't easy ta make it through the ranks. Ended up shedin' blood, sweat, 'n tears ta get even considered as my brother's successor."

  
He wasn't sure what to say to that.

  
"'Can't exactly say anythin' good 'bout my home life. It wasn't anythin' like a normal home. Got to the point that my brother grabbed me 'n the family dog 'n got us outta there ta raise me on his own." 

  
"I see. That...must have been difficult, for both of you." 

  
Mondo only nodded. "But...they're both gone now, 'n there ain't no way 'm crawlin' back ta my old man's house. There ain't no way 'm gonna spit on my brother's sacrifices 'n all our hard work fer, what, a roof over my head 'n a beatin' twice a day?! Fuck that!" He sighed. "'ll have ta leave my gang one day...Got plans ta go ta trade school after this..." 

  
"Oh, what for?" 

  
Mondo seemed bashful. He wouldn't admit that the other looked cute like that. "W-well, 'was considerin' becomin' a carpenter. I spent so long destoryin' shit...figured 'd start buildin' stuff instead."

  
"Wow, that's...really different from my initial impression of you. I'm sort of envious." 

  
"Huh? Whaddya mean?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed! Thanks for all the support so far. I'm super happy about it...so um...Thank you very much for your time!


	7. Mondo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another apology for being late. It turns out that only drinking one bottle of liquids a day will lead to dehydration...kind of. Anyway, I was under the weather and had to deal with some errands. It wasn't fun.

"Whaddya mean?"

  
The other smiled sadly. He seemed...somber, a far cry from the usual upbeat personality that the other had for as long as he knew him. "You...you're going to go on and improve yourself, and I'm sure that you have a lot of friends who will support you as you go on to do that, right?" 

  
"Uh, 'guess? Never really thought 'bout it." 

  
The other laughed a bit. It wasn't the loud 'HAHAHA' that the other usually did. No, this one was...soft and...sad. "I've never actually had a friend support me before. I've only ever had my father." 

  
He raised an eyebrow. The prefect didn't seem like the most popular guy, sure, but he had to have had one friend, right? "The fuck? Ya had to have had one friend, right?"   


  
He shrugged. "I suppose if you call people who only spoke to me on a dare friends, then yes, I guess I did.

  
"Though, that's not the kind of friend I wanted. I wanted...I want a friend I can confide in and who will confide in me, too. I want to just be able to spend time with someone my own age and talk with them, but everytime I try, I always end up not being able to hold a proper conversation." 

  
Mondo frowned. It didn't surprise him to learn the other was socially inept, but to an extent like that...Kiyotaka probably didn't want the pity he was feeling. He couldn't blame the other if he didn't. 

  
"It wasn't like I could change anything they didn't like about me. Even when I tried to change my personality, my looks and my name always made them avoid me. I...I tried to change, but when I did, it wasn't enough."

  
"What's yer name got anythin' ta do with ya not makin' friends?" 

  
"You don't know?" 

  
"'m sorry? What 'm I missn'?"

  
"Have you heard about Toranosuke Ishimaru?" 

  
"Er...maybe. Don't really remember 'im?" 

  
"He was a former prime minister, and he was my grandfather."

  
"Huh? Really?" He had to admit, he was even more confused. 'A former prime minister's grandson...wouldn't that mean he would've always had kids tryin' ta mooch off of 'im or somethin'?'

  
"Yes...He made it to prime minister with only a high school diploma from here. He rose through the ranks of the government soon after graduation."   


  
"Woah, that's...amazing. Guess I know where ya got yer genius from." 

  
He flinched when the other got up so suddenly. "Don't confuse me for a person like that!" 

  
"Jesus Christ, man! Don't jus' get up 'r start yellin' all of a sudden!" 

  
"S-sorry..." Ishimaru sat back down. "Still, don't call me that. A genius doesn't value hard work. A genius is lazy and is doomed to fail. I...I've tried all my life to work hard and succeed with my own two hands. It wasn't easy, but I was acknowledged by Kaisaidan before coming here. I scored the top marks in all the exams, so even if they didn't want me, they had to let me in for that alone...Though, to get that, I focused all my time on studies and forgone friendships and most hobbies aside from kendo and caligraphy." 

He was shocked to say the least. He had always assumed that Ishimaru was another rich genius like Togami. "Wait, why wouldn't they want ya? Yer a prime minister's grandson so yer family's gotta have money, right, and yer a g-er...a really smart guy. Don't see why a prep school like that wouldn't want ya."

  
Ishimaru sighed. "It was when we were young, but my grandfather was involved in a certain scandal. I don't know all the details, but it involved dealings in the criminal underworld, from what I remember along with embezzlement from his own business. After it all came to light, he lost his postion as prime minister, the business fell, and my family fell on hard times. The debt that my grandfather left behind...even if I were to work whatever job would accept me, I would end up spending my entire life paying it back." 

Mondo felt tears prick at his eyes, but...for the baseless assumptions he made about the man with him, he could at least not interrupt him and just...listen. He owed him that much.

  
"I...I want to succeed my grandfather in all things. I've worked my entire life. I...I know I'm not going to be the most popular canidate, but I hope to one day be prime minister and fix my grandfather's mistakes. I hope to change this country with the ideals and merit that I worked hard for. I maybe too idealistic, but I think that...Anyone can achieve anything if they work hard for it, but...I am aware my social ineptness might hinder my ability to achieve my goals." Another small, sad laugh. Mondo wasn't sure if he should say anything yet. "I hope I'm wrong." 

  
Finally the tears dripped down the biker's face. 

  
"H-Huh?! I-Is something wrong?! Do you need anything? Is there something in your eyes?" 

  
Mondo shook his head. "N-nah, I jus'...I was so wrong 'boutcha, man. Ya...You've been through so much. I jus'..." He couldn't finish. Regret made him unable to speak.   


  
"You...you're crying for me?!" Ishimaru sounded so surprised. Of course he was crying for the other. Why wouldn't he be? Oh...right. Finally, he stopped, and Ishimaru spoke more. "No one...has ever cried for me before. The few people I confided in aside from my father...They would say I deserve the hardships considering what my grandfather's actions did to their families. You really are a kind man, Oowada." 

  
"Don't jus' say things like that. Ya don' really know shit 'bout me." 

  
"Even so, you listened to me. I appriciate that. That's something that friends do for each other, and even though we aren't friends," he shrugged. "I appriciate it a lot." 

  
"What're ya talkin' 'bout? We're friends now, right?" 

  
"W-we are?!" 

  
"Yeah, we-Oi! Ishimaru!" He was interrupted by the other boy collapsing. 

  
"Ugh...I couldn't hold out anymore. This is my loss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment or leave a kudos if you enjoyed. Thank you for reading. I appropriate it a lot. Also, thanks for the 81 kudos and the comments so far. It makes me really happy and motivated to keep writing.


	8. Kiyotaka

Mondo picked him up. His head hurt. "Don' worry 'bout it. Ya got guts, prefect. 't's my loss." Mondo carried him out of the sauna and into the dressing room.

"No, I lost fair and square. It's only right that I accept my loss for what it is and work to improve myself in case of future occurrences." He held his head as he sat down on a bench. "Besides, you are still wearing your clothes, and you beat me. I wouldn't feel right about claiming I won when you managed to especially with that fact in mind."

"Fine, jus' call it a draw. This was stupid anyway."

He nodded in agreement, and they sat in silence until he could bring his head up without hearing his own heartbeat echo painfully in his skull.

Mondo smiled and patted his back. "I'mma take a bath. Uh...d-do ya wanna join me 'r somethin'?"

He smiled. "Of course! The best way for men to bond is when you reveal everything to each other! Baring soul and body to each other! I would be honored, Mondo."

Mondo had a confused look on his face, but he chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Never thought of it that way, dude. Lemme get a towel 'n get outta my clothes. 'll meet ya there."

He nodded, got up, and made his way to the bath. He smiled contentedly as he submerged himself in the warm water. It was a comfortable sort of warm and absolutely wonderful compared to nearly getting boiled alive in the sauna.

"Oi! Water nice?"

"Oh, yes, very! Much better compared to the sauna at least!"

He heard the other chuckle as he got in. Kiyotaka felt his face heat up a bit, but he wasn't sure if it was because of the bath or for other reasons. Mondo was...rather handsome with a large chest, abs, and large arms. Kiyotaka knew he was in shape due to his daily exercises, but he didn't think he could match up against someone like Mondo in the muscles department. "O-Oi, what're ya starin' at?!" 

He blinked. "S-sorry! I was just lost in thought for a moment!"

"Makes sense. Anyway, ya wanna keep talkin'?"

"Oh, um...yes, I would like that!"

"Hm..." Mondo spent a good moment thinking. "Well, tell me 'bout yer family. Ya mentioned yer Dad, what 'bout yer Mom?" 

Kiyotaka felt cold suddenly. He had forgotten to call her completely. She was going to be so angry at him. Even if their relationship was terrible, he still craved her approval. She was his mother, and he supposed he would always try to seek the approval of adults that, up until now, was completely absent in any relationship he had with his peers.

"Kiyotaka?"

"Oh, right," he sighed. "My mother left my father after the scandal. She...she knew he would struggle to take care of me, grandfather, and the bills, but she left me there with him anyway. I...at some point, she remarried to a man named Masaki, and no, he is not my step-father. My mother disowned me when I was very young." He didn't see the other's concerned expression as he continued. "Even now, I seek her approval. I want her to acknowledge me as her son. I want her to love me the way I loved her, but I know that even if I somehow reach her expectations for me, she'll only make new ones that are more impossible to reach. No matter how hard I work, no matter how hard I try, I know that she'll find a way to find fault in me."

He was getting lost in his head when Mondo's arm went around his shoulders. "Huh?!"

Mondo was crying. "Goddamnit, dude! She doesn' know nothin'! Yer tryin' yer hardest! N-'n even if yer not enough fer her, yer such a good guy! It ain't right man!"

Once again, Mondo was crying for his sake, and he wasn't sure how to react. After a few minutes, Mondo stopped.

"Ya 'lright, dude? 'cause ya've been through some pretty heavy shit. Ain't good ta keep it all bottled up."

He nodded. "You would be correct. I'll keep that in mind."

They sat in silence again before he broke the silence.

"Since I told you about my mother, why don't you tell me about your's?"

Mondo smiled. "Oh, mom was the best. She took me 'n Daiya out fer ramen 'n ice cream on the weekends! She was the kinda chick ta not put up with any bullshit 'specially from 'er kids. This one time..." For a considerable amount of time, Mondo recounted many anecdotes about his childhood with most of them involving him or his brother doing something rather stupid though normal for young children and their mother scolding them. After laughing together about an incident involving the family dog, a beer bottle, and a hair dryer, Mondo's voice took on a more sombre tone.

"Yeah, mom was a great person. 'loved her a lot. She died when I was pretty young...think I was around 7 'r 8 at the time. Miss her a lot."

Kiyotaka silently nodded and patted the other's back.

After soaking for a little while longer in silence, the two got up, dried off, got changed, and went to their rooms. After exchanging goodnights, they fell asleep. As Kiyotaka dreamed about talking to Mondo more in the morning, he wouldn't know that the other was thinking happily about the exact same thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave a kudos or a comment if you enjoyed. Thank you for your time. ^_^


	9. Mondo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work is...still alive and I am, too, for the most part.

He was halfway done with getting ready for the day when he heard a knock at the door. "'t's open!"

"Kyoudai!" Oh, it was Taka. "Good morning, are you ready to go to class?"

"Ah, yeah, jus' lemme get finished with my eyeliner."

"Alright!" He chuckled and finished up. He expected the other to do this. After all, Taka was the super high school level prefect. It wouldn't make sense for him to not care about what he did.

Still, he was surprised when the other smiled and complimented his appearance before they walked together to class. They didn't say a word, but it wasn't awkward at all. Oddly, it was comforting for him to just be in the other's presence. For the first time, he was happy that he sat so close to the prefect. Something about the guy made the anger that he always felt disappear for a bit.

"So, Kyoudai, do you have any plans after classes?" The two were walking to the cafeteria for lunch together.

"Nah, don' think so, why?"

"Well, would you like to study together in the library later today? It would be nice to study with someone, and we might strengthen our manly bond by spending time with each other."

He chuckled and ruffled the other's hair. Kiyotaka was so damn cute! Wait, cute? Could he call guy's cute? He wasn't sure. "Yeah, sure, aniki. I don' study much, but I don' think 'll mind it if yer with me."

Taka beamed. "Really?! I'm so glad, kyoudai!"

During their meal, they talked about everything and nothing. They talked about their futures, their pasts, and their troubles now. For the first time in a very long time, he hung on to every word the other said. Every word and sound was too precious to him to ignore. It was a weird feeling, but he liked it. In fact, he was so absorbed in his conversation with the other, that he wouldn't notice the happy eyes of the programmer or the disgusted eyes of the writer watching them. Still, even if he did, he was too busy missing Taka after the other left his side for his next class. He scowled. The only was gone for a minute, and he already missed him. What was going on?

Shop class was easily his favorite class. It was relaxing being able to work with his hands to build something. Still, this was Hope's Peak, so there was a lot more freedom in this class than there would be in a normal high school especially his former one. So, he looked through the available blue prints and took one for a desk along with materials. At some point during their conversation, the prefect had mentioned something about his desk and how it was broken. While it wouldn't be as good as an expensive desk he could buy, but it would mean something to the other, right? So, he got started.

After class, the desk legs were done and measured. It would take a few days, but he would get the rest of it done within the week. For now, he had to meet the other in the library.

As he walked in, he found the other sitting at a table with a text book and a work sheet. When he sat down, Taka looked up and smiled.

"Kyoudai," he whispered yelled. "How was your class?"

He quietly explained that he was working on a project.

"I'm glad to hear that! I'm sure it will be amazing, Kyoudai. I know you'll work very hard on it."

He blushed and looked away. "Thanks, aniki."

The prefect beamed. "You're welcome, kyoudai. Now, are there any subjects you need help in? I would be glad to tutor you."

The two spent the rest of their afternoon studying, and they even studied together during and after dinner. When they finally parted to go to their rooms, he had studied more in that day than he had in his entire life, and he was eager to do it again. Kiyotaka made it...interesting and easy to understand. He didn't mock him for not understanding the basics, and he patiently and kindly explained everything he asked the other to. It was...great. He felt confident in himself, and he was eager to take the test and see how much he really knew. It was weird, but...for the first time since coming to Hope's Peak, the hollow feeling in his chest lifted a bit. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed, please leave a kudos or a comment. Thank you for your time and patience with me. ^_^


	10. Kiyotaka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's been forever, huh. Well, I lost inspiration for this, but hey, may as well see what I can come up with, right?

The day with Mondo was wonderful. If he had to guess, he would say that was one of the happiest days of his life so far. Never before had be connected with someone like that...or smiled so much, or even laughed so much. Still, even that had to end. A sinking stone of dread entered his heart as he spoke of his day to his father who was overjoyed he made a friend for the first time in his life. No, a week has passed and his mother would be wondering why he didn't call yesterday.

His hands shook as he typed in the number. The phone rang, and the increasing number of rings gave him some comfort as he-

"Kiyo, would you care to explain why you didn't call me yesterday?"

He gulped. Of course she shouldn't greet him. She was angry at him, why would he expect otherwise.

"Well?"

"I-I'm sorry, mother. I-I had some business to take care of."

"What sort of business."

"Er...something with a friend."

There was a pause before he heard her laughing. She had a beautiful laugh, just like his father always said, but it wasn't beautiful right now to him. Now, it was cruel. It was the sound that came just before a tragedy. It was a sound that reminded him of hopeless nights hurt and tired and hungry without his father and only his shell of a grandfather. It was a sound that reminded him of all the days that he prayed to whatever god he could think of that someone, anyone would help them. His mother's laughter only brought him despair.

"You? You have a friend? Don't tell lies to your mother, Kiyotaka." Her sweet voice was a sharp sword cutting into his stomach and leaving him to rot in his own self loathing. "You know as well as I do: there is no one who would ever care about a failure like you? Do you understand? Even if there was, they will only be a distraction. You don't need anymore. Focus on your school work, or do you want to be a failure like Toranosuke?!"

"N-no.." He felt tears run down his face.

"Good, then focus only on your work. Friends are temporary. I'm sure they would throw you away as soon as they got a shiny new friend to spend time with, anyway. Mother is just saving you from that heartbreak." Her voice was deceptively soft. "Mother loves you and wants you to be okay, alright, Kiyo?"

He sniffled and nodded before croaking out a half-hearted yes.

"Good boy, don't let me down."

She hung up, and he put his head on his desk and sobbed. She was wrong, she was wrong, she was wrong, she was wrong. She had to be. That moment in the sauna...there was no way that could be fake. There was no way Mondo would throw him away after what they shared. He sniffled and opened up a book, but he couldn't focus. His heart was cracked, and his mind was filled with nightmarish images of being all alone again after being given a taste of the companionship that he had been dreaming of for as long as he could remember. Being alone like that again...that would surely kill him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this, please leave a kudos or a comment. Thank you for your time.


	11. Mondo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk if I need to update the tags for this chapter or not.

When he woke up, he was kind of excited. He never had a friend like KIyotaka before or even met someone like him before. Most guys he met that were even close to Kiyotaka were stuck up snobs. They were the kind of people that looked down on people like him. They were the kind of people that blamed the victims for their own circumstances. They were the type of people he hated more than anything. Kiyotaka learned sympathy and compassion better than any other man he had met before, and he appriciated the hell out of it even if the guy cried so easily and made him freak out trying to calm him down. 

  
He was a bit disappointed that the other wasn't there when he exited his room. He wondered for a moment if the prefect was still in his room, but when Naegi saw him at the other's door, the luckster politely informed him Ishimaru had already left for class. He was a bit miffed, sure, but he reasoned that Kiyotaka stayed up too late studying. He had mentioned that happened sometimes.

  
When he walked into the classroom, the other had his nose buried in his notes. He smiled, walked up to him, and tapped his shoulder. 

  
"Yo, mornin, aniki." 

  
The other didn't respond. 

  
"Kiyo?" 

  
No response. That was pissing him off. 

  
"Oi, Ishima-"

  
"Good morning class. Mr. Oowada, please take your seat or I'll have to give you detention."

  
He immediately sat down. The teacher began the lesson, but he didn't listen at all. He just stared at the prefects back the entire time. 

When class ended, he grabbed the prefect's wrist before he could walk off. 

  
"Oi, aniki. Why the fu-" 

  
"Please restrain from using vulger language, Oowada, and please let me go. I don't want to be late." 

  
The other's voice sounded raspy. He didn't look like he slept last night either. The way he sounded...had he been crying all night? Why? His head was going a mile a minute trying to figure out what happened before he felt the other take his hand off his wrist. 

  
"Hey, aniki." The other stopped. "Ya know, ya can talk ta me bout anythin', right?" 

  
It was silent for a long moment before the other chuckled. It sounded dead. "What would I have to talk to a delinquent about?" 

  
Normally, that would have pissed him off. From anyone else, it would have immediatly pushed him to deck them in the face. From the person who was his soul brother only a day ago, it made his blood go cold. 

  
He said nothing more and let the other go. Later, he wouldn't see the other at lunch, and when he got to woodshop, he could only dumbly keep working on that desk he had decided to work on. If nothing else, he was going to finish it fo himself. 

  
He didn't bother studying. It didn't make sense to him anyway. Hell, nothing made sense right now. 

  
What was wrong with Kiyotaka? Did he do something? Did someone say something? Did...did he...

  
"Ya can' really blame the kid, Mon-chan," he sighed. Not tonight, any night but tonight. "Ya can't blame him for not wantin' ta be soul brothers with a killer, now can ya?" 

  
"Ya know, ya could gimme advice instead of beratin' me." 

  
The voice laughed. It sounded just like his father. He wanted to puke. "Ya wouldn' listen ta me anyway, would ya. Weak lil idiots like you never listen. Didn' even listen when I didn' wanna race ya. Now, look at you. Almost ta tears cause a damn honor student don' want ya. How low can ya sin-" 

  
The voice couldn't finish before he slammed his head against the wall. It hurt like hell, but it was quiet now. He felt tears prick at his eyes as he shambled back to his bed and collapsed. He didn't sleep that night. He just stayed awake with his regrets and worries. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you liked this, please leave a comment or a kudos. Thanks for reading.


	12. Kiyotaka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters? In one month? It's almost like the beginning again! Ah, I wish I had inspiration more often.

Three days passed since he last spoke to Mondo. He avoided the other at all times aside from classes. The other hadn't been sleeping well. Dark rings circled his eyes, and he was sleeping in class more. Luckily for him, the teacher was too happy he was showing up at all to care too much. Still, he felt a small pang of pride and pain at seeing the other there. Did...did Mondo actually care...No, he coudn't. It wasn't possible, right? 

Still, he was alone again, right? Wasn't that what he wanted to avoid? It hurt. It hurt so much worse than it had before, but it was supposed to be better this way somehow. He didn't want this. He wanted to beg Mondo to forgive him for his actions and go back to the way they were only a few days ago. He wanted to forget about his mother, the pain, the lonliness, everything just for another moment with the first and only real friend he'd ever had. 

"Can I speak with you, Ishimaru?" 

He was a bit surprised as he turned to the detective. Kyouko Kirigiri was tied with him and Byakuya for the highest grades in class, so she couldn't want tutoring from him. What could she want. "Of course, Kirigiri. What can I help you with?" 

"It's about your recent distancing from Oowada. I thought you and him became friends recently." 

He could feel the scowl that was always on his face deepen a bit. "I-I see. Well, th-that's private!" 

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. Though, it's clear how it's affecting both of you." 

He would guess that would be an issue. He hasn't been eating much. He already didn't eat much to begin with, but Mondo always went to lunch, so he began skipping that to avoid the bosozoku. It would look bad for the school if a student, especially one like him who is lower class to end up passing out from not eating. "I see. Well, I'm sure things will be fine, Kirigiri. You should focus on your studies...not on me." 

She sighed. "I figured you'd say something like that. Fine, I'll let you and Oowada deal with it for now, but if it gets too far, I'll ask Sakura to handle the two of you, understand?" 

He nodded solemly. He didn't doubt her there for a second. 

They parted ways, and he went to the library. He had been hiding out there instead of facing the biker, but to his surprise, there he was standing at the door. 

"Hey, I-" 

He turned around and left instantly. Right now, it wasn't even the pain from his mother's last call that was making him run. No, this time it was the sheer shame and guilt at seeing the other waiting for him after 4 days of nothing from him. 

He heard the other following him, but he didn't stop until he got to his room. He heard the other at the door. 

"Oi, Kiyotaka!" 

"Please leave, Oowada!" He couldn't. He just...he couldn't. It would be so much easier if the others seemed angry. It would be easier if the other just beat him up like so many had done before. It would be easier if they hadn't bonded and became friends. 

He heard the other sigh. "'ll jus' wait fer ya then. Got somethin' ta show ya, 'n if ya still hate me after that, 'll understand." 

His heartbroke. The other thought...He didn't hate him. He steadied himself and came out of his room. He didn't say a word, but he wouldn't look the other in the eye. 

He followed the other all the way to the woodwork shop. He wondered briefly if the other was going to smash his head in with a hammer before dismissing the thought entirely. He wouldn't leave this world that easily, not because of Mondo at least. 

He smiled at the little projects before gasping slightly at what the other wanted to show him. It was a desk. It wasn't perfect, but it was rather well made. He looked at the other. "Did you make this?" 

"Er, y-yeah, I did." The other looks away. "Like I said, wanted ta turn my life around...I-I...I dunno what I did ta make ya hate me, but 'm changin...okay? I wanna be better, so p-please, let's jus' be bros again 'r somethin!" Mondo started yelling towards the end. He remembered that meant the other was nervous. 

"I don't hate you. I..." He felt tears prick at his eyes as he looked down. "I'm sorry, Mondo." 

"Aniki?" 

"I'm sorry!" Before the other could react, he wrapped his arms around the other and buried his face in his chest. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" 

"Aniki, what do ya gotta be sorry for?" 

He sniffled and sobbed. "F-For ignoring you! F-For hurting your f-feelings...For making you think I hate you when I care about you more than anything!" 

"You care about me?!" 

He pulled away to look at him and wiped his tears a bit. He felt more when the other stared wiping them, too. "Y-yes...very much. You are the first friend I ever had...You're the only person other than my father who I can talk to about everything. I love you, kyoudai." 

Mondo blushed at that. Did he say something wrong? Either way, it was cute. "You..." He sighed. "Then, what happened? What had ya so distant?" 

He couldn't hold back. Not while the other was looking at him so sincerely, not while the other's hand was still wiping his tears from his face so tenderly. "My mother. I-I didn't tell you about her, did I? She left my father after the scandal, and she remarried when I was young. 

"I still remember listening to my father cry over her as a child. I remember wanting her to visit, to come back, to call...do something when I was child that would remind me that she cared about me at all. The last time I saw her was at my grandfather's funeral. She tried to get me to let her husband adopt me then slapped me when I refused." 

"What the fuck?" Mondo was practically spitting the words. He looked furious. For a moment, he was worried it was directed at him. "That b-" 

"Please don't call my mother that, kyoudai!" 

The biker sighed and muttered a 'fine', and he continued. 

"When I entered Hope's Peak, she contacted me. I suspect for bragging rights amongst her peers was her only motivation. I call her once a week for check ups, but..." He sighed. "I hate it. I hate talking to her and listening to her about how I never do enough. I hate what she said about how no one could ever care about me! I hate that-" 

He was interrupted by the other wrapping his arms around him and holding him close. He started crying again, but it was silent this time. For the first time in days, he was at peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you liked this, please leave a kudos or a comment. Thank you for reading.


End file.
